Beautiful, popular 15-year-old student
Yamada is struck with a singular obsession: this year in high school
she’s going to sleep with no less than one hundred boys. Thoughts of
sex are constantly on her mind, and the prospect of only partially
attaining her goal might go some way towards soothing her raging
hormones.

The only problem? She’s still a virgin,
and her inept and increasingly humorous attempts to seduce a ‘cherry
boy’ for her first time form the crux of this charming and surprisingly
heartfelt series.

Unlike more overtly male-oriented fare such
as Ikki Tousen or Girls Bravo, Yamada’s First Time
is also capable of crossing the great anime gender divide and appealing
equally to both sexes, a fact to which I can personally attest after my
own better half was unexpectedly smitten by the series.

Yes, there’s plenty of fan service in the
form of bouncing bosoms and bikini-heavy beach episodes, but Yamada’s
bumbling attempts at seduction (as when she freaks out upon seeing her
first real-life erection), her lascivious yet self-doubting inner
monologues and the errant contradictions of her personality are so
authentically depicted they can’t help but resonate. Blatant fanboy-pandering
premise aside the animation is sublime, the writing snappy and the
series is also frequently, welcomely and genuinely funny.

All in all Yamada (also known as
B Gata H Kei) is a real winner. Madman’s new two-disc Blu-ray set
contains uncensored editions of all 12 episodes, as well as bonus
material including Audio Commentaries on episodes 1 and 11 with
the English writers and voice cast, Outtakes, Trailers and
Textless Openings and Closings. Highly recommended for those who
like their high school sex romps with a little heart.